Hi,
I visited a mini schnauzer breeder today and was really happy with the breeder but was a little surprised that the Mum who is due in just a couple of weeks seemed quite nervous and did not want to interact with me or my husband. Is it normal for a pregnant bitch to be nervous/ wary? We have done lots of research into the breed and feel we have a found a breeder who is genuine and who cares about her dogs. She had two other mini’s who were friendly and seemed very happy to greet us and looked healthy. The litter will be KC registered, the parents are both health tested etc and we felt the breeder really knew her stuff, cared about her dogs and did ask us questions and seemed concerned that her pups went to the right home. However I was just left a little unsure as the mum did not interact, she actually had her tail between her legs when we first arrived and seemed nervous. She did stay in the room with us and sat on the breeders lap and seemed content there. Can anyone advise if this is normal and am I just being too cautious? We will go and visit again when the pups are 4 weeks old and check that they interact well etc before we go ahead. Any advice appreciated.
Nervous Mum....should I be wary?
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Please do not discuss breeders or raise issues concerning breeders on the forum. This has created problems in the past and many breeders are not members and unable to defend any claim you may make.
Please do not discuss breeders or raise issues concerning breeders on the forum. This has created problems in the past and many breeders are not members and unable to defend any claim you may make.
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KellyDP
- Puppy
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- First Name: Kelly
- Dog #1: Walter
- is a: P/S Mini Dog
- Born: 26 Aug 2020
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zeta1454
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- First Name: Leigh
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- is a: P/S Mini Bitch
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- is a: P/S Mini Bitch
- Born: 15 Mar 2012
- Dog #3: Pip
- Born: 21 Feb 2014
- is a: P/S Mini Bitch
- Location: North Yorkshire
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Re: Nervous Mum....should I be wary?
Hi Kelly and welcome to the Forum 
It is hard to say what is ‘normal’ for a pregnant bitch. I would not have expected her at seven weeks of pregnancy to be clearly nervous of visitors if she was usually a laid back or friendly dog. Behaviour can change more markedly after the birth as the mother is often very protective of her babies and may not be as relaxed with visitors. However, if this is her first pregnancy she may be feeling more vulnerable due to the hormonal changes going on etc. so it is not easy to say for sure there is a problem.
Of itself, I would not be hugely worried but it is something to keep in mind with your on-going contact with this breeder. Was the breeder a recommendation or did you find them through the breed club or Kennel Club?
Other than the Mum feeling anxious due to the up-coming birth, there are several possible explanations for her to be so nervous but these are purely speculative: the Mum actually is of a more nervous temperament than the other dogs you met; or she is not usually kept in the house and is therefore on edge being indoors and meeting strangers; or possibly she is there to have her puppies and it is not her usual home. The latter need not be some kind of fraud, but some breeders who have one or more entire male dogs or for a variety of other reasons may have the bitch who is being bred from stay with a co-owner or close friend /relative until after the birth of pups which is not common but does happen.
If you are confident about the breeder from everything else as you mention above, there may be no need at all to be worried. Try to keep in close contact with the breeder from the puppies’ birth via email or social media so you can follow the development of the litter through photos / video clips before you make the 4 week visit. It is a long time to wait when you are excited about a possible new addition to the family and most breeders should be happy to share the progress of their puppies with potential new families.
It is hard to say what is ‘normal’ for a pregnant bitch. I would not have expected her at seven weeks of pregnancy to be clearly nervous of visitors if she was usually a laid back or friendly dog. Behaviour can change more markedly after the birth as the mother is often very protective of her babies and may not be as relaxed with visitors. However, if this is her first pregnancy she may be feeling more vulnerable due to the hormonal changes going on etc. so it is not easy to say for sure there is a problem.
Of itself, I would not be hugely worried but it is something to keep in mind with your on-going contact with this breeder. Was the breeder a recommendation or did you find them through the breed club or Kennel Club?
Other than the Mum feeling anxious due to the up-coming birth, there are several possible explanations for her to be so nervous but these are purely speculative: the Mum actually is of a more nervous temperament than the other dogs you met; or she is not usually kept in the house and is therefore on edge being indoors and meeting strangers; or possibly she is there to have her puppies and it is not her usual home. The latter need not be some kind of fraud, but some breeders who have one or more entire male dogs or for a variety of other reasons may have the bitch who is being bred from stay with a co-owner or close friend /relative until after the birth of pups which is not common but does happen.
If you are confident about the breeder from everything else as you mention above, there may be no need at all to be worried. Try to keep in close contact with the breeder from the puppies’ birth via email or social media so you can follow the development of the litter through photos / video clips before you make the 4 week visit. It is a long time to wait when you are excited about a possible new addition to the family and most breeders should be happy to share the progress of their puppies with potential new families.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras
Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
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KellyDP
- Puppy
- Posts: 14
- Joined: 04 Aug 2020, 19:39
- First Name: Kelly
- Dog #1: Walter
- is a: P/S Mini Dog
- Born: 26 Aug 2020
Re: Nervous Mum....should I be wary?
Hi,
Thanks for your reply which was helpful. We found the breeder via the Champsdog website and she did tell us that she partners with someone else and actually the Mum had only been with her since mating but that was she was staying with her long term after the pregnancy. So, this could explain why the Mum was so nervous. The Mum did interact with the other minis and seemed very happy to just sit on the breeders lap most of the time, she just did not want to come to us. We will keep in contact with the breeder and ensure we don’t go for a puppy unless they are friendly and playful when we visit again. If the puppies seem nervous of people we would walk away and wait to find someone else. However the breeder did seem excellent, and having done lots of research into what to look for we do feel happy that this breeder is doing everything properly. Thanks again for the advice, I am sure I will be posting again once we a puppy!
Thanks for your reply which was helpful. We found the breeder via the Champsdog website and she did tell us that she partners with someone else and actually the Mum had only been with her since mating but that was she was staying with her long term after the pregnancy. So, this could explain why the Mum was so nervous. The Mum did interact with the other minis and seemed very happy to just sit on the breeders lap most of the time, she just did not want to come to us. We will keep in contact with the breeder and ensure we don’t go for a puppy unless they are friendly and playful when we visit again. If the puppies seem nervous of people we would walk away and wait to find someone else. However the breeder did seem excellent, and having done lots of research into what to look for we do feel happy that this breeder is doing everything properly. Thanks again for the advice, I am sure I will be posting again once we a puppy!